Gamma ray bursts are some of the most powerful explosions in the universe, unleashing as much energy in mere seconds as the Sun will in its entire 10 billion year lifespan. Typically, they’re produced ...

In The Devil's Dictionary, Ambrose Bierce describes the mind as "a mysterious form of matter secreted by the brain," engaged in a futile attempt to understand itself "with nothing but itself to know ...

In December 2003, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first flight of the Wright brothers, the New York Times ran a story entitled “Staying Aloft; What Does Keep Them Up There?” The point of ...

The Star of Bethlehem may have been a planetary conjunction. A comet or supernova are less likely explanations. Multiple planetary alignments around 7-3 BC could have been interpreted as significant.

The unregulated morass of vitamins and supplements makes it hard to know what’s legitimate. We can help.

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. In 1950 the Italian physicist Enrico Fermi was discussing the possibility of intelligent alien life with his colleagues. If alien ...

People are innately curious. Think back to when you were a child and constantly asking “why.” “Why is the sky blue?” “Why is the grass green?” Asking “why” is a child’s way of learning and forming ...

GWASs in human populations have discovered hundreds of SNPs significantly associated with complex traits 1,2, yet for any one trait they typically account for only a small fraction of the genetic ...

Your support goes further this holiday season. When you buy an annual membership or give a one-time contribution, we’ll give a membership to someone who can’t afford access. It’s a simple way for you ...

Like most Americans, I watched the events of January 6th in horror and disbelief. But as a social psychologist, the events of that day are, sadly, quite easy to understand, as I described to the ...